This Lemon Chicken Romano is the restaurant-quality dinner that makes weeknights feel special. Crispy parmesan crusted chicken breasts topped with creamy lemon butter sauce and melted mozzarella cheese. Takes about 35 minutes from start to finish with simple ingredients. I make this Lemon Chicken Romano whenever I need something that looks fancy but requires minimal actual effort.
Why You'll Love This Lemon Chicken Romano Recipe
Real talk, this Lemon Chicken Romano is one of the easiest chicken entrees I've made and my family requests it more than takeout.
What Actually Works: This Lemon Chicken Romano recipe coats chicken breasts in romano cheese and breadcrumbs, pan fries them until golden and crispy, then tops everything with lemon butter sauce and mozzarella. Simple technique, about 35 minutes total. Comes out with crispy coating, tender juicy chicken, and that tangy creamy sauce everyone loves.
Why Other Methods Fail: Most chicken romano recipe attempts mess up by using wet chicken that makes the breading fall off in clumps. Others skip pounding the chicken thin so it cooks unevenly with burnt coating and raw centers. Some make the lemon butter sauce too thin and watery instead of rich and creamy like the chicken romano Cheesecake Factory version.
The thing that changed everything: Understanding that you need DRY CHICKEN and EVEN THICKNESS for Lemon Chicken Romano. My first attempt I skipped patting the chicken dry because I was rushing and thought it wouldn't matter. The breading slid right off in the pan and left me with naked chicken and a pile of soggy crumbs stuck to the skillet. The coating that did stick was gummy instead of crispy.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Lemon Chicken Romano Recipe
- What You'll Need for Lemon Chicken Romano
- How to Make Lemon Chicken Romano
- Top Tip
- Ingredient Substitutions & Variations
- Storage and Reuse Instructions
- What to Serve With Lemon Chicken Romano
- My Lemon Chicken Romano Journey
- FAQ
- More Recipes You'll Love
- Lemon Chicken Romano
- Related
- Pairing
What You'll Need for Lemon Chicken Romano
Basic ingredients you probably already have. This is the easiest chicken main dishes recipe you'll make this month.
For the Chicken
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Romano cheese, grated
- Panko breadcrumbs
- All purpose flour
- Large eggs
- Italian seasoning
- Garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil for frying
- Mozzarella cheese, shredded
For the Lemon Butter Sauce
- Unsalted butter
- Fresh lemon juice
- Chicken broth
- Heavy cream
- Garlic, minced
- Fresh parsley
- Lemon zest
Optional Add-Ins
- White wine
- Capers
- Red pepper flakes
- Fresh basil
- Artichoke hearts
- Sun dried tomatoes
Exact measurements in the Recipe card.
How to Make Lemon Chicken Romano
This Lemon Chicken Romano recipe comes together in about 35 minutes. The technique is simple but makes all the difference.
Prep the Chicken
Pound chicken breasts to even ½ inch thickness using a meat mallet between two pieces of plastic wrap. This ensures your Lemon Chicken Romano cooks evenly without dry edges and raw centers.
Pat the chicken completely dry with paper towels on both sides. This step is crucial for getting crispy romano chicken coating that actually sticks instead of falling off in the pan.
Set Up Breading Station
Place flour in one shallow dish and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Beat eggs in a second shallow dish with a splash of water.
Mix romano cheese with panko breadcrumbs and Italian seasoning in a third shallow dish for your Lemon Chicken Romano coating. The combination of cheese and panko creates that perfect crispy texture.
Bread the Chicken
Dredge each chicken breast in seasoned flour, shaking off excess so you have just a light coating. The flour helps the egg stick properly.
Dip floured chicken into beaten eggs, letting excess drip off before pressing firmly into the romano breadcrumb mixture. Make sure every inch of your chicken romano gets coated thoroughly by pressing the mixture onto both sides.
Pan Fry Until Golden
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add breaded chicken breasts without crowding the pan.
Cook for 5 to 6 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy with internal temperature reaching 165°F. Don't flip too early or the coating will stick to the pan instead of staying on your Lemon Chicken Romano.
Make the Lemon Butter Sauce
While chicken rests, melt butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute without letting it burn.
Pour in chicken broth and fresh lemon juice, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let simmer for 2 minutes to reduce slightly, then stir in heavy cream and lemon zest for creamy chicken romano with lemon butter sauce.
Assemble and Finish
Return cooked chicken to the skillet with the lemon butter sauce. Top each piece with shredded mozzarella cheese.
Cover the skillet and let cook for 2 to 3 minutes until cheese melts completely over your Lemon Chicken Romano. The residual heat finishes cooking everything together while the sauce thickens.
Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately while the coating is still crispy and the cheese is melty. You'll have restaurant-quality chicken romano with lemon sauce that rivals any steakhouse version.
Top Tip
Pound chicken thin and keep it dry for perfect Lemon Chicken Romano. Here's what I learned the hard way:
- That even thickness technique is what makes this actually work like restaurant versions
- Made this mistake twice using thick chicken breasts straight from the package because I didn't want to bother pounding
- The thin edges overcooked and dried out while thick middles stayed raw
- Had to keep cooking which burnt the romano coating completely black
- The timing was impossible to get right no matter what temperature I used
- Started pounding each breast to uniform ½ inch thickness with a meat mallet
- Suddenly everything cooked evenly in the same amount of time
- Got perfectly crispy lemon chicken romano with juicy tender meat throughout
Ingredient Substitutions & Variations
The base Lemon Chicken Romano is perfect but you can customize it for different flavor profiles.
Parmesan Version
Use freshly grated parmesan cheese instead of romano for slightly milder chicken limone recipe with nutty flavor. The parmesan creates a similar crispy coating with less sharpness than romano.
Lemon Artichoke Style
Add chopped artichoke hearts to the lemon butter sauce along with capers for tangy lemon artichoke chicken that's even more flavorful. This variation tastes like chicken piccata meets romano chicken.
Pasta Addition
Serve your Lemon Chicken Romano over cooked angel hair pasta or orzo tossed in the extra lemon butter sauce for complete lemon garlic chicken pasta meal. The pasta soaks up all that delicious sauce.
Storage and Reuse Instructions
Yeah, Lemon Chicken Romano keeps great actually.
Refrigerator: Store leftover chicken romano with lemon butter sauce in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes to keep the coating crispy. Microwave makes it soggy.
Freezing: The breaded uncooked chicken freezes well for up to 2 months but the sauce doesn't freeze great. Freeze breaded chicken on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to freezer bags. Cook from frozen, adding 3 to 4 extra minutes per side.
Make Ahead: Bread the chicken up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerate on a plate until ready to cook your Lemon Chicken Romano. Make the sauce fresh right before serving for best flavor and texture.
Serving: Serve this chicken with lemon sauce immediately while hot for the crispiest coating and most melted cheese. The contrast between crispy breading and creamy sauce is best right away.
What to Serve With Lemon Chicken Romano
This Lemon Chicken Romano is hearty enough to be the star but pairs beautifully with simple sides.
Classic Options: Serve chicken romano delight with garlic mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus, or Caesar salad. The sides complement the rich lemon butter sauce without competing for attention.
Pasta Pairing: This lemon chicken pairs perfectly with angel hair pasta, lemon garlic pasta, or even simple buttered noodles that soak up the extra sauce. Turn it into complete lemon chicken orzo recipes by serving over cooked orzo.
Vegetable Sides: Roasted Brussels sprouts, sautéed green beans, or steamed broccoli balance the richness of romano chicken. A simple arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette adds freshness.
My Lemon Chicken Romano Journey
First time I made Lemon Chicken Romano I used thick chicken breasts at high heat because I thought that would cook them faster for quick poultry recipes. The coating burnt black within 4 minutes while the inside was completely raw and pink.
Had to scrape off the burnt breading and finish cooking the naked chicken in the microwave which made it rubbery. My husband took one look and suggested we just order from the chicken romano Cheesecake Factory instead.
Tried again using pounded thin chicken at proper medium high heat with the pan not too crowded. Suddenly the chicken cooked perfectly with golden crispy coating and juicy tender meat. The lemon butter sauce came together in 5 minutes and tasted exactly like restaurant chicken dinner recipes.
Then I made the sauce too thin by using all broth and no cream. It was watery and bland instead of rich and tangy like proper lemon chicken romano allrecipes versions. Started adding heavy cream and it transformed into that silky sauce that coats the back of a spoon.
Now I make this Lemon Chicken Romano twice a month because I know the secrets. Thin chicken, dry surface, proper heat, and creamy sauce.
Similar Easy Chicken Recipes Worth Making
Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken: Whole chicken roasted with lemon slices and garlic cloves for lemon roasted chicken that's just as impressive but even easier than breaded versions.
Lemon Basil Chicken Pasta: Pan seared chicken tossed with pasta, fresh basil, and lemon cream sauce for quick lemon basil chicken weeknight meals.
Lemon Thyme Chicken Skillet: One pan chicken thighs with lemon, thyme, and white wine sauce creates lemon thyme chicken with minimal cleanup.
These lemon chicken variations all use similar flavor profiles to Lemon Chicken Romano, so once you master this recipe you can easily make the others.
FAQ
How to make lemon chicken romano?
To make Lemon Chicken Romano, pound chicken breasts thin, bread them in romano cheese and panko, pan fry until golden and crispy, then top with lemon butter sauce and melted mozzarella. The key is keeping chicken dry before breading and cooking at proper medium high heat for crispy coating.
What is lemon chicken romano?
Lemon Chicken Romano is an Italian American dish featuring breaded chicken cutlets coated in romano cheese and breadcrumbs, pan fried until crispy, then topped with creamy lemon butter sauce and melted cheese. It's similar to chicken romano Cheesecake Factory style but made at home with simple ingredients and techniques.
More Recipes You'll Love
Once you've nailed this Lemon Chicken Romano, try my Chocolate Raspberry Cookies for a sweet ending with chocolate chips and fresh berries that's just as impressive. My Blackberry Pretzel Dessert combines sweet and salty in one addictive dish with crunchy pretzel crust. And my Butterfinger Cheesecake is the ultimate chocolate peanut butter dessert that pairs perfectly after this savory chicken main dish.
Lemon Chicken Romano
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Pound chicken breasts to even ½ inch thickness using a meat mallet, then pat completely dry with paper towels so the breading sticks properly.
- Set up three shallow dishes with seasoned flour in one, beaten eggs in another, and romano cheese mixed with panko breadcrumbs and Italian seasoning in the third.
- Dredge each chicken breast in flour, dip in beaten eggs, then press firmly into romano breadcrumb mixture to coat completely on both sides.
- Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat, then cook breaded chicken for 5 to 6 minutes per side until golden brown and internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Remove chicken and in the same skillet, melt butter, add minced garlic and cook 1 minute, then add chicken broth and lemon juice, simmering for 2 minutes.
- Stir in heavy cream and lemon zest, return chicken to skillet, top with mozzarella, cover and cook 2 to 3 minutes until cheese melts.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately while coating is crispy and cheese is melted.
Nutrition
Notes
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Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Crispy Lemon Chicken Romano:
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